The present invention relates to an electrical connector having right-angle bent terminals, and particularly to an electrical connector having an insulative protector for covering and protecting the terminals.
Electrical connectors with a large number of electrical contacts are often used in electrical computers, particularly large computers which produce a high number of transmission signals. To save the space, headers having electrical terminals bent at an angle of approximately 90xc2x0 from the end of the header are commonly used in the electrical and electronic industry as, for example, on the end of a circuit board. The electrical terminals are usually unprotected and are subject to damage and may collect dust and debris which could interfere with the electrical operations.
Thus, there is a need for a simple, cost effective means to effectively shield the right angle bend electrical terminals to protect persons using electrical equipment from receiving an electrical shock when touching the exposed electrical terminals and to reduce the accumulation of the dust and debris on the electrical terminals. Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical connector which has a protector steadily assembled to an insulative housing thereof so as to protect a plurality of terminals of the electrical connector and ensure the signal transmission.
To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, and an insulative protector. The insulative housing comprises a mating portion having a rear face, a plurality of terminal receiving passageways defined in the mating portion, a pair of sidewalls extending rearwardly from the mating portion and a pair of platforms respectively formed outside of the sidewalls. The protector comprises a top ledge having a pair of tongues formed on opposite ends thereof, and a base having a pair of opposite side latches at the bottom thereof. Each latch has a hook formed at the free end thereof. The tongues of the top ledge and the latches of the base engage the sidewalls of the insulative housing to assemble the insulative protector to the insulative housing.